Legal Help Desk

Today, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard vetoed House Bill 1008, a discriminatory bill that would have prevented transgender students from accessing restrooms and single-sex facilities that correspond to their gender identity.

House Bill 1107, a dangerously far-reaching religious refusal bill that would have allowed individuals, businesses, social service agencies and others to discriminate against same-sex couples, transgender people and single mothers on the basis of personally held religious beliefs was tabled in the South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today.

Recently, as these election-year LGBT-bashing bills have proliferated, some gay bloggers and reporters have started asking what members of the community also must be wondering: Are our LGBT organizations prepared to deal with this unprecedented level of legislative and ballot attacks? Lambda Legal has been preparing steadily during the past three years and implementing strategies to fight back and win. At the same time, we know our opponents are well-funded and determined, and winning will not be easy.

After the Georgia Senate passed the so-called "First Amendment Defense Act of Georgia (FADA)", Lambda Legal urged the House to reject HB 757. The anti-LGBT bill encourages private businesses, individuals and medical and social services agencies to discriminate against anyone in Georgia on religious grounds.